Lips of an Angel
by Beth Smith
Summary: He jumped up to grab the phone before it woke Sam up, and brought it to his ear. “Hello?” He almost choked when he heard the voice, weak with tears on the other line say, “Steven?”


**Disclaimer and A/N: **I don't own anyone or anything from That 70s Show. This one is inspired by "Lips of an Angel." I'll bet you can tell where this is going.

**Setting: **In an AU world where (God help us all) Sam's husband never came for her and she stayed with Hyde. (Trust me, I really, REALLY hate the idea, too.)

**Lips of an Angel**

Hyde jolted awake, pain in his blue eyes for the fraction of a second before he realized where he was. He was in his room in the Forman's basement with his wife. If you could really call her that… She was more like his whore who just happened to have her name next to his on a marriage license. Sam was not a wife in the real sense of the word… "But that's what happens when you get really drunk in Vegas," he thought to himself.

He walked out of the room quietly, hoping not to wake Sam up, because then, he'd have to screw her again before she'd go to sleep, and he was sick of it. Steven Hyde, sick of nailing a hot stripper? Who'd have ever thought it? But the truth was that sex was OK when there were no strings attached… Or when you loved the girl. But unfortunately for Steven, the strings were there, and the love wasn't.

He walked up the stairs quietly, hoping to get a beer out of the fridge and chill out. Maybe then he'd be able to get some sleep without all the God-awful dreams.

He found a beer and made his way down the stairs again, heaving a sigh. This wasn't the life he'd had in mind. Ever.

He sat down in his chair and remembered better days. Not so long ago, he would have been sitting, beer in hand, in front of the TV, Forman and Donna would have been making out on the couch. Kelso would have occupied the end of the couch, while Fez would have been sitting in the chair at the other end of the couch, watching Eric and Donna, and getting needs. And then, there would have been Jackie… Jackie… God, Jackie… Sitting on his lap, making out with him and talking by turns.

Later, they might have rolled a joint and sat in the circle, or gone to the movies, or to the Hub…

He was the one who had royally screwed that up. He'd never given Jackie a chance to explain anything. He'd pushed her away. And then married Sam in a drunken stupor in Vegas while still pissed at Jackie.

"Good job, dumbass," he thought to himself.

He was surprised when the phone rang. He was glad he'd gotten a new line for himself and Sam in the basement, so that they didn't bug the Formans with their calls anymore. He jumped up to grab the phone before it woke Sam up, and brought it to his ear. "Hello?"

He almost choked when he heard the voice, weak with tears on the other line say, "Steven?"

"J… Jackie?" he replied, though he didn't have to ask. It was her. It couldn't be anyone else. From the very first tone of her voice, she'd instantly brought back to life a part of him that had been dead a long time. The part that longed to protect her from everything that made her cry. Why the hell had he answered the phone? "Are you OK?"

"Steven… I had… I had a nightmare…" she said, sniffling and gasping for air through the tears as she talked to him.

"Jackie," he said, his voice instantly harsh and angry. Here she went again, like in high school… Every little problem, and she wanted Steven to take her to the mall, or go out to dinner with her, or… or… "You had a _nightmare_? Don't you have a boyfriend? Wake Fez up and ask him to make you feel better, huh?"

"Ste… Steven," she said, still crying. "I can't wake Fez up… I… My nightmare was about you."

"About me?" he was almost stunned. "What about me?"

"Steven, I dreamed that you were hurt, and… And I wanted to tell you something, but they said you'd never wake up, and…"

Hyde ached all over from hearing her say his name. No one could say the name "Steven" like that… that way that made him feel a million things at once. And dammit, he hated it. "Jackie, I can't talk long, OK… Sam's asleep, and I don't want to wake her up. Besides, she'd be pissed I'm talking to you."

Jackie knew how Steven felt. She didn't want to wake Fez. God knew she loved Fez, but not like that. Not like she loved Steven. Not in the way that made her feel weak when he was close to her, and not in the way that made him the person she wanted to turn to tonight. "I don't think Fez would like it much, either," she said with a sigh.

"But what did you want to tell me in your dream?" he asked, his voice softer to keep the airhead in the next room from coming in.

"I don't know," she lied. She'd known exactly what she'd wanted to tell him. It was the same thing she wanted to tell him right now. That no matter how much she wanted to make Fez happy, he didn't make her happy… Never had… Steven was the only one who knew her inside and out… He was the only one who could make her feel like someone who could be anything… No one had ever made her feel the way Steven did.

"Well, Jackie," he said, his rough voice hiding the feelings that were burning to get out. The part of him that wanted to tell Jackie that he loved her… He'd loved her all along, and he wanted to be with her. But hide it he did. He'd never let her know, because he'd screwed it up for himself. She'd had nothing to do with it. Or, at least not enough for him to try and blame it on her. "I can't help you, y'know… I don't know what's gonna make you feel better."

But he did. Or at least, he knew what would have made her feel better before. If she had ever had a nightmare before… When they were together, what made her feel better was crawling into bed beside Hyde and falling asleep in his arms. But now… He didn't know.

He guessed there had to be something there, or she wouldn't have called. She would have told Fez she'd had a bad dream, lied about what it was about, and let him make her feel better.

"I know, Steven," she said, trying to stop crying, but failing miserably. "I'm sorry," she added, feeling bad for calling so late.

"That's cool," he replied, trying to put Zen into his voice like no one had ever heard.

Jackie wondered if he meant that it was cool, he didn't mind, or if he meant that it was cool, but it had really bothered him, and he was just being nice, or… "Damned Zen," she thought, wanting to throw things.

She sighed. "Look, Steven. I'm sorry I called so late… I… I…" she shook her head, and tried again. "I'll let you go, but thanks for letting me talk…"

"That's cool," he said again, hating himself for being such an idiot. He'd brought this all on himself, and he was just going to have to live with his decisions. Wasn't that what Red was always saying? You have to live with the choices you make.

He set the phone back in its cradle, and whispered in his softest voice, "Anything for you, doll."

He finished off the beer, decided on another after that call, then went back to bed, wishing that somehow, he'd forget it all in the morning.


End file.
